Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

STEP TWELVE

where we will seem to be temporarily off the beam. These
will appear as big setbacks at the time, but will be seen
later as stepping-stones to better things. For example, we
may set our hearts on getting a particular person sobered
up, and after doing all we can for months, we see him re-
lapse. Perhaps this will happen in a succession of cases,
and we may be deeply discouraged as to our ability to carry
A.A.'s message. Or we may encounter the reverse situation,
in which we are highly elated because we seem to have been
successful. Here the temptation is to become rather pos-
sessive of these newcomers. Perhaps we try to give them
advice about their affairs which we aren't really competent
to give or ought not give at all. Then we are hurt and con-
fused when the advice is rejected, or when it is accepted
and brings still greater confusion. By a great deal of ar-
dent Twelfth Step work we sometimes carry the message
to so many alcoholics that they place us in a position of
trust. They make us, let us say, the group's chairman. Here
again we are presented with the temptation to overmanage
things, and sometimes this results in rebuffs and other con-
sequences which are hard to take.

But in the longer run we clearly realize that these are
only the pains of growing up, and nothing but good can
come from them if we turn more and more to the entire
Twelve Steps for the answers.

Now comes the biggest question yet. What about the
practice of these principles in all our affairs? Can we love
the whole pattern of living as eagerly as we do the small
segment of it we discover when we try to help other alco-
holics achieve sobriety? Can we bring the same spirit of